failing miserably at potty training

[Jeni D]

Well, the potty training is not going quite as planned, and I was hoping you guys could help me fix whatever the problem may be. We take Dudley out frequently, twenty or so minutes after drinking water and an hour after eating, after napping, and after playing. However, we will stay outside for quite a while (sometimes up to 30 minutes), come back in without going to the bathroom, and then he will urinate in the middle of my living room floor. This is problem number one.

Problem number two occurs when I leave for work. We put Dudley in a small gated area covered with newspapers and his crate. Almost daily, I come home to find that Dudley has defecated on the papers (no big deal, right) and proceeded to traipse through it over and over again, covering himself and his area with the foul smelling stuff.

I have no idea how to fix either of these problems. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[darci]

How old is he?
How long have you had him.

btw he is too cute....

[Jeni D]

That's a picture of him at 6 weeks. He doesn't look too much like that anymore, but he's still a cutey!
He'll be 10 weeks old on Monday and I've had him a week. I realize this isn't very long and puppies do have accidents, lots of them, I just want to make sure that I'm not creating any kind of life long habits and his playing in his poo and getting it everywhere under the sun is getting a bit nauseating

[darci]

I would try putting him in his crate when you arent there instead of giving him too much room. They generally wont poop where they sleep, and the saying is if they poop in the crate they have too much room. This is for puppies in potty training of course.

As for the peeing in the house, I would only stay outside for potty breaks for 5-10 mintues max... usually more like 5 minutes, try to stay around the same areas so he can smell where he has been before and when he does go outside praise praise praise, and we also gave treats ( some choose not to do treats but it worked well for us ).

Also you need to take him out about every 2 hours, and make sure to go out as soon as he wakes up,and about 20 minutes after meals.

A general rule of thumb is a puppy in age of months can hold his bladder, so if he's 2 months old he can hold it for 2 hrs etc. up to 6 months/ 6 hrs.

When he pee's in the floor say outside pick him up and take him outside for 2-3 mintues then come back in.

When you have him outside tell him to go potty.... This help when he gets older I can now ask Darci need go potty ? and if she needs to go out she will go to the door if she doesnt need to she will go play etc. It also helps " go potty " thing when its freezing or raining and you dont want them to dilly dally....LOl but of course this doesnt always work the way we want it too.

Be consistent is my best advise, and be patient. Darci is 2 yrs old and we still keep down 1 poop pad in the house for when she just cant hold it anymore, she very rarely uses it though.

Always watch for sniffing the floor, or walking in circles thats a good indication that they are looking for a spot.

Also good quality premium food usually results in less poop and more firm that is as long as they have no food allergies, and not every food is good for every dog.


Good luck and hang in there....

[corgimom]

Jeni,

I agree with much of what Darci said, but I would take him out a bit more
frequently than the two hours, even though they say a puppy can hold it
based on their age - I guess every dog can be different. I got Cody at 11 weeks and I was taking him out every 1/2 to 1 hour during the winter(so
much fun) and some people may say that was way too frequent, but
in my case he trained very fast and we established a routine and even now
at 6 months, I take him out every 3 hours except at night time,(but I am home with him) so that is easy for me to do, but it is also spring and I spend
a lot of time outdoors and he comes along with me; and I know I will stretch
that time even longer.

When you take Dudley out to go potty, he will sniff a bit for a spot, but keep
telling him to "go potty" in a pleasant voice and as soon as he does - tell him
"good potty" and give him a small treat - I agree with Darci on that - I did
that also - HOWEVER, if you take Dudley out at a time that you feel he should
probably go pee and he doesn't go after telling him to, I would bring him in
and put him in his crate for maybe 10 to 15 minutes and then take him out again and tell him once again "go potty"

That way, if he doesn't go pee and you bring him back in, he won't get the
run of the house and be inclined to pee on your floor because he will be in
his crate for a short 10 or 15 minutes and won't mess it up and then you try
again. After he goes pee outside, of course, reward him with the treat and then let him loose in the house and play.

I know sometimes my Cody will pee a few dribbles outside and then walk around a bit and pee some more and as he does his duty, I praise him all the
time by saying "good potty" - I wonder if the neighbors hear me, but that is
okay. He is 6 months now and holds his bladder so well. As for him having to
go poop - he usually goes anywhere from 1 to 2 hours after eating or if he
has been running around and playing hard.

I also agree with the putting him in the crate so he does not poop - do you
come home on your lunch hour so you can take him out? - otherwise I am
really not sure what to tell you regarding him stepping into his mess - but the
crate should work for that.

You have only had him for 1 week, so you are still learning his behaviors and
that takes time, it will work out.

Good luck

Linda

[Jeni D]

I do come home and let him out for lunch, which leaves him home in the morning for 3 hours and then in the afternoon for four. I thought this was too long to leave him in his crate which is the reason I put him in a small area. Can I expect him to hold it this long in his crate? He does go all night, sometimes twelve hours without any mishaps (He sleeps in our bed, which I know many of you guys say is a big no no, but it seems to be working out for him.)

I am a teacher and school is almost out (13 school days to be exact) so once the summer comes, I will be able to spend the days with him, which will be a huge help.

[darci]

Yes I would still leave him in his crate for the 3 hrs in the am , and for the 4 hrs in the pm, it's not too long in the crate.

Dont feel bad at all about him sleeping with you it is your dog, and you do what works best for you and your family.
Because Darci is a bed hog, she sleeps with us every other night. LOL

I too have to work outside the home and come home for lunch and take Darci out and also did this during her potty training, and she did very well.

Your doing great, just hang in there.

[corgimom]

Jeni,

he should be able to hold it for the 3 hours in the morning and 4 in the afternoon if he is in his crate; otherwise, I am not sure what your alternative
is in regards to him walking in his mess - I am sure not fun for you.

As for the sleeping with you in bed - well, that is up to you, but I would not
start him out that way, I would use the crate until he is older, even if you
put the crate in your bedroom, however, he may now complain about this, but it has only been a week. I guess my thoughts are, do you ever have to go away for a weekend, or maybe a night that may require you in the future to board him? He may have a hard time boarding if he is so used to sleeping with you, but I may be totally wrong on that.

I have at times, wanted to bring Cody into bed with me because sometimes
my husband travels, but with him being 6 m onths old, I don't want to start
that because then he may whine when I have to put him back in his crate.

He does not mind his crate and seems to know after his last outing at 10 p.m.
that it is "off to bed" I get him one mini sized little bone and he runs in his
crate and he gets his treat and then it is lights out - and his crate is in
the family room and our bedrooms are upstairs and I don't hear a peep out
of him until we get up which is around 5:30 in our house. - He also has a
stuffed dog that he sleeps with. Even in the morning when I open his crate
door, he is stretching and groaning and rolling on his back as if to say "it
can't possibly be that time" ha.

Anyway, starting out at such an early age in bed with you might not be the
best thing, but it is what you can live with as he gets older.

The pottying will work out, just watch him like a hawk when he roams the
house and as Darci said watch for sniffing and circling which is often a sign,
but like I said in my previous comment, if he doesn't do his pee outside, put
him in his crate for maybe 10 to 15 minutes and try again - I bet he will
go on the second time out and soon will learn to understand that
outside time is potty time.

I see you are in Illinois and I am in Wisconsin - so I know you get snow,
but are still warmer than we are. You are so lucky that you are potty
training him now. We got Cody on Janury 28th and all those frequent
trips out in the cold was no fun - I had to always grab my hat and mittens, winter coat, boots and often my snow pants many times over
just to stand out there in the snow and blowing wind. I would always
come in and tell my husband, never get a puppy in winter again.

linda

[Jeni D]

Linda
I definitely know how the snow is! What a pain!
We made it through today without a single accident, so I definitely take this as an accomplishment. We even left him for a few hours in his crate, just to test it out, and when we returned, he was fine and ready to go. I completely understand what you are saying about him sleeping in his crate and this is definitely something we need to work on.
Thanks for all your advice
Jeni

[PocketsMom]

HEHE... I am just going to read everything Jeni writes and your answers! Pockets is doing well now though too. He is still making no noise when he has to go out. I am having more of a problem when he is playing. He does sleep in a crate and everything as well. I got one at Meijer (like a Walmart) that has a 'floating' back so I have an extra piece that I can move as he grows. My brother told me I could move it back one more giving Pockets an extra inch or so...yeah....next day 2 accidents in the crate so we have moved that back up for now. I guess at least he has accidents on the kitchen floor now rather than my carpet is our big accomplishment! I also wanted to say thnks for all the great advice!

[corgimom]

Pockets Mom

He looks so darn cute with his ears up - what a little doll - aren't these puppy days just the greatest and tiring also. Cody loves the little kids next door - today the 20 month old little boy brought over his basketball for Cody to play with because he likes to watch Cody play soccer in the back yard.


Also, Cody doesn't make any noise when he has to go out, but he will
go sit by the patio door. - once in awhile he will whine, but usually not.

linda

[PocketsMom]

Thanks. I think he is adorable but I am bias!

I am remaining happy with the knowledge that one day Pockets will go outside and quit pottying in my house! Until then we will just keep resolve carpet cleaner, Brawny paper towels and lysol in business!

He is trying to herd me but we are working on that as well. Not usually bad until he gets my achilles tendon! I am lucky that although he tries to bite the table leg he stops as soon as I say no! He is over his love of shoes which is nice!

We are heading to the vet soon just to make sure things are going as they should and to get everything set up. I had someone going with me to help handle the 3 dogs but they called and bailed so we will test ourself today!

Just a little update!

Penny

[Chip's Mom]

Chip is doing great also. He will be 4 months old Wednesday. However, if it rains, is dark outside (I think he is afraid of the dark) you have to go out with him and coax him to go. He also doesn't ask to go out, but will go in front of the door if you don't see him. I have put an old rug there with rubber backing. I don't scold him just try to watch him closer. Somedays no accidents at all especially if we leave the door open for him. (remember I have a fenced in yard so he is perfectly safe)

[corgimom]

Pockets mom

Try "spot Shot" on your carpet, it works better than Resolve.

Chips mom,

I remember when Cody was younger and I would take him for night walks,
and we have a lot of home construction going on around here. Anyway,
he would see piles of wood along the road with a tarp over it and stop in
his tracks and stare and bark at it - not being sure what it was. As we walked by he would move to the other side of the road, but I was always
reassuring telling him it was okay.

Linda

[darci]

Penny Love the picture of pockets, what a cutie patotie....